What Darwin Never Knew Blog Post:
Charles Darwin was a British Naturalist. Darwin died on April 19th 1882. Charles Darwin did not discover DNA it was discovered by James Watson and Francis Crick but they also got help from Rosalind Franklin. After Darwin’s death, his peers and other scientists continued to keep his legacy going. In Darwin’s research, he figured out that some species he was studying changed. Charles Darwin was famous for his theory of natural selection, the natural selection tells you how genetic traits may change over time, as Darwin figured this out in his study.
How did the discovery of DNA prove that Darwin’s theory of evolution was correct?
In the 1800s Scientists started to believe that species were changing, and modern organisms came from ancient organisms. However, it wasn’t until Charles Darwin brought a revolutionary theory of evolution to light that science took off. He suggested that organisms change in either physical, heritable, or behavioral traits. Additionally, he proposed that organisms who do such things develop higher fitness, meaning they become more adapted to their environments, increasing their chances of survival and reproduction. In Darwin’s theory, populations increased at a geometric rate, meaning they multiplied rapidly and faced extinction. Every species also has its variation, and the strongest, most advantageous traits are passed along to the next generation. Despite Darwin’s high accuracy, he lacked evidence to support his theory. Following many attempts to prove his theory, DNA properties were discovered nearly 100 years later. Darwin’s theory was able to be extended and justified as a result. We are all different on earth because of our DNA and genes. Each organism has its own set of genes because of mutations. In some cases, modifications can be helpful or fatal, depending on which nitrogenous base gets replaced. Using DNA (and its mutation information), we can see how natural selection occurs. This proves Darwin’s theory of evolution, which states that genetic variation occurs over time, and heritable traits evolve through populations. Because DNA contains so many details about the origin of all organisms, its discovery proved Darwin’s theory, showing that things evolve just as he predicted. In the movie “What Darwin Never Knew” it showed multiple examples of how Darwins discovery theory changed and how it made us see evolution today as well as how it gave us so much information for when they were exploring and it and now in the future.
How does it change the way we view evolution today?
Now in today’s date we have more information about DNA and how it works, as well as Understanding life’s key components and how evolution works are crucial. Our DNA and genes are able to answer problems in which a particular thing could have an impact on a negative outcome that we do not want. We know all of these things that happened and that’s because Darwin and his theory were discovered, so without Darwin, we wouldn’t know anything and would not have all this information and probably DNA would have been discovered later by James Watson and Francis Crick because Darwin helped them find DNA easier with his theory, so without Darwin’s theory, it would have probably taken longer to discover. These days scientists and others see a huge amount0 of diseases and mutations in people and animals, but they also have found that there is a 1% opposite gene that is in humans and chimps/ as well as other animals. In the past evolution was much easier and simpler, but now it is more complicated and much more things come with it and have been discovered with it. As in today’s date evolution is more complexed and definitely more idea’s and details come with it, but with it being more complexed scientists have been able to discover many things and we have been able to learn more about DNA as well as evolution.
How does it change the way we view and study evolution in the future?
Darwin proposed that species are capable of changing over time, that new species emerge from existing species, and that all species have a common ancestor. Based on this model, every species has its own set of heritable (genetic) differences from its common ancestor, which have accrued slowly over eons. As we gain better insight into even larger aspects of evolution and DNA research, we will be able to get even more intricate. In the future, DNA will likely be studied even more thoroughly than it is now. By combining the data collected from today’s studies and the past, we will be able to detect more disorders or diseases in the genetic code. This is a huge leap forward. As scientists discover more things, they become more helpful in providing evidence and answers. Today, all genetic research is based on the concept of evolution. Scientists could examine evolution and maybe in the future, they can use fossils again because in the past fossils have worked well and provided accurate research for scientists. When scientists looked at Dinosaur fossils also known as Archaeopteryx or Urvogel fossils they showed that birds and reptiles were both present. Other scientists have studied this and its comprehension in greater detail. However, in the future, some scientists may not use fossils but might use other things to observe upcoming technology that might be coming.
Extra Sources Used:
“Bird Beak Lab.” Bird Beaks: Competition and Natural Selection, www2.nau.edu/lrm22/lessons/bird_lab/bird_lab.html.
“Darwin, Evolution, & Natural Selection (Article).” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-biology/natural-selection/natural-selection-ap/a/darwin-evolution-natural-selection.
Documentary: What Darwin Never Knew. Produced by Matthew Barrett. 2011. DVD
“Evolution by Natural Selection.” Evolution by Natural Selection – Key Stage Wiki, keystagewiki.com/index.php?title=Evolution_by_Natural_Selection&mobileaction=toggle_view_desktop.
“DNA PNG Images.” Free Icons PNG, www.freeiconspng.com/images/dna.